The prestigious titles of European Green Capital (EGCA) and European Green Leaf (EGLA) are awarded every year to European cities for their commitment to environmental, social and economic sustainability. The European Commission's competition to find the next winner of the EGCA and EGLA titles are open for applications.

Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants are eligible for the European Green Capital (EGCA) title

Cities with more than 20,000 and 100,000 inhabitants are eligible European Green Leaf (EGLA) title

If you think your city can be an EU Ambassador, showcasing best practice in sustainable urban development to motivate and inspire other cities, then you should apply!

If your city is interested, the first step is to register your interest by following this link. Once your city is registered, you will have access to the full set of application forms. Registration is completely obligation free and does not require your city to enter the competition at a later date, allowing your city to explore the application process to determine whether you would like to make a formal entry.

The application deadline is on 14 October 2019 at 23:59 CEST (GMT +2).

Benefits of being a European Green Capital or European Green Leaf Winner

Being a European Green Capital brings many benefits including a greater focus on environmental projects, increased international media coverage of your city, a boost in local pride and increased foreign investment, in turn developing the local economy and helping to create employment. The winner of the title will also receive €350,000¹ to kick-start its environmental programme for its laureate year!

Winners and finalist cities also gain access to the exclusive European Green Capital Network - a powerhouse network of 28 cities that share knowledge and environmental best-practice and discuss challenges they face and how to overcome them. In addition, previous applicants have said that the application process itself proved beneficial in evaluating their environmental progress and benchmarking themselves against their European peers.

European Green Leaves cities are ambassadors that promote climate action for smaller cities, and have the opportunity to see their actions promoted through the EGLA promotion channels